From floods in Memphis to wildfires in Lancashire, extreme weather conditions are on the rise. As climate change gathers pace and the vulnerability of communities in urban areas becomes more apparent, a new database of local responses provides some answers.
Since 2008 the Grabs project has been compiling case studies of best practice in climate change adaptation from around the world. In particular it highlights the variety of ways in which towns and cities are preserving and expanding their green spaces and waterways in order to reduce the impact of heatwaves and flooding.
The Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns programme (Grabs) brought together a network of 14 European partners to build a database of actions and urban design solutions.
From a green roofs programme in the Swiss city of Basel to aeration corridors in Stuttgart, the database is a valuable resource for decision-makers working towards developing more resilient urban areas.
The project also highlighted a number of exemplar cities, including the Austrian city of Graz, which has, since the 1980s, placed the protection of even the smallest of green spaces at the heart of its development policy.
THE GREEN NET OF GRAZ
The Austrian city of Graz has put protection of its green spaces at the heart of its planning policy
The second largest town in Austria, Graz is often referred to as the ‘green heart of Austria’ due to its vast numbers of forests and green areas. Around 40% of its area is made up of green space and the city’s planners and decision-makers have fought hard to retain this as the city has developed. Building on green belt areas is restricted and the size of development regulated.
Local planners have researched the benefits of green infrastructure in mitigating climate change and have developed a number of projects to protect and enhance the city’s green space, the biggest of which is the Green Net of Graz.
A network of open spaces joined together with green corridors and routes, the idea for the Green Net began back in 1980: the city was coming under pressure for increased development as its population grew and planners wanted to find a way to protect its green areas. A green space theme was incorporated into the city’s policy work programme and the network now serves as a framework for the long-term work of the city’s urban planning department.
Creating a green network is a long and ongoing process but its benefits are multiple and already apparent. In terms of climate change adaptation, links between Graz’s ‘green islands’ help cool down the city centre and reduce the amount of sealed surfaces, thus preventing flooding.
For the city’s residents, the unique local surroundings have boosted their wellbeing and sense of belonging. New green routes for walkers and cyclists and increased recreation activities within the city’s boundaries means fewer people use cars or drive out of the city for recreation. And, since the introduction of the network, the city has also seen its economy boosted by increased numbers of tourists.
PROTECTING THE INNER COURTYARDS OF GRAZ
Concrete inner courtyards in Graz have been turned into green oases
Raising awareness of the importance of green spaces in the city is a key part of the ongoing implementation of Graz’s green spaces plan. Most recently the city’s planners and environmentalists have drawn up a list of standards that protect and enhance even the smallest pockets of green space.
While most cities monitor and protect their parks and big open spaces, Graz goes much further, with standards for parking areas, front gardens and street trees. The requirement for new parking spaces, for example, is that at least one broad-leaved tree be planted and maintained for every four new parking spaces that are created. Every flat roof in the city of a certain size and angle must be turned into a green roof, according to the standards.
One of its most ambitious attempts to protect green infrastructure is its inner courtyards project. In the city’s development policy, conservation of the historic green courtyards and front gardens of the classic pre-modernist apartment blocks is a key goal. It developed a strategy to build awareness of the importance of green spaces among owners and tenants, including incentives to help them get involved in their conservation.
Seven pilot projects saw courtyards transformed from barren concrete spaces to lush green oases with input from their owners and tenants. The city has produced a set of guidelines for the future development of the courtyards and a Courtyards Advisory Centre set up.
REVIVING FORGOTTEN WATERWAYS TO PREVENT FLOODING
Hand in hand with the preservation of green infrastructure goes the protection of blue spaces. Streams and other flowing water within urban areas are often neglected until floods remind them of their presence. Graz has been the victim of major flooding for many centuries; its most recent incident, in 2005, caused 2m Euros worth of damage. A ten-year programme called the Streams of Graz has been set up with the aim of preventing future floods.
The programme began with a study of the city’s 52 streams and small channels, which revealed that they no longer fulfil their ecological functions, have a poor capacity to discharge floodwater and have limited value in terms of recreation for the local population. The local government then created a programme to address these concerns and revive streams and waterways across the city.
The Schockelbach stream is one example of what has been achieved. Responsible for the floods which inundated the centre of Graz in 2005, a study of the stream found that buildings and other infrastructure had been built so close to it that it no longer had the space to retain floodwater, and the elevated position of the stream bed made it impossible for floodwater to flow back into the channel when it burst its banks.
The project aimed to improve existing floodplains and discharge areas. Construction included the planting of hundreds of trees and shrubs, sowing a flower meadow, widening the stream’s bed and creating a children’s playground where it had been widened. The project used a wide range of community engagement activities to raise awareness of flooding and its solutions.
Graz has become an exemplar in the lengths it has gone to to protect and enhance its green and blue spaces. With cities producing the vast majority of greenhouse gases the ways in which they manage their impact on the environment lies at the heart of the problem. The Grabs project is hoping that, by sharing knowledge and best practice on climate change adaptation, they will inspire urban areas to respond positively and imaginatively to the challenge.
Access Grabs case studies and find out more: http://www.grabs-eu.org/